1. Field of the Invention
With respect to the classification of art as established in and by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, this invention is believed to be found in the general class entitled as "Winding and Reeling" and more particularly to "Expandable with Inflatible means".
2. Description of the Prior Art Expanding mandrels and spindles have come into prominence in the material handling field over the last twenty-five to thirty years. Typically these roll spindles are inserted into the cores of roll stock and expanded to grip the inner surface of the roll. Expansion of the spindle may be done by mechanical means or pneumatically.
In pneumatically operated spindles, air is introduced through a check valve or tire valve arrangement. Usually an operator positions a roll of material on a spindle. Subsequently the operator applies air pressure to the spindle by way of a shop-air hose. The shop-air hose is generally adapted to mate with the check valve mounted on the spindle. After the spindle is inflated the hose is disconnected from the spindle. This method of inflation is the subject of many U.S. Patents. U.S. Patents which disclose check valve arrangements are U.S. Pat. No., 2,707,082 issued to Collard Sr. et al, on Apr. 26, 1955; U.S. Pat. No. 3,552,672 issued to Grettve on Jan. 5, 1971; U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,857 issued to Smith on Feb. 4, 1975; U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,488 issued to Lee et al on Aug. 3, 1976; U.S. Pat. 4,101,085 issued to Arno on July 18, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,252 issued to Burkle et al on Mar. 13, 1984 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,014 issued to Crowe on Oct. 21, 1980. U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,022 issued to Hoover on July 13, 1982 discloses a check valve mounted at one end of a stationary spindle and a hand bellows, for expansion of the spindle, located at the opposite end The Hoover Patent also discloses various combinations of two way valves to expand or collapse the spindle.
Currently available prior art equipment usually provide an arrangement to eliminate the use of a shop-air hose. In this arrangement a central control panel is provided. Directional control valves are mounted in and on the control panel. Each of the valves is connected in series between a common regulated air supply and an expanding spindle. As many as six spindles may be connected in spaced relationship with the control panel. The distance from each spindle to its control valve may be in the range of 2 meters to 4 meters. In this type of arrangement, an operator must position a roll of material on each spindle in an approximate position, then walk over to the control panel to actuate the valve. Should the position of the roll of material be incorrect and need adjusting, the operator must return to the panel to first vent the pressure in the spindle then move the roll of material to a new location. This procedure must be repeated until a correct position for each roll of material is found. Inflation of the spindle is not as rapid as in the shop-air system, due to the its distance from the control panel. Deflation or venting is also delayed due to the length of the conduit between the spindle and the control valve.
In the prior art Patents the operator must search for a supply of air to inflate the expandable spindle after positioning a roll of material thereon. Should the roll of material need to be repositioned on the spindle, the operator must deflate the expanded spindle by allowing the air to escape from the check valve. It is quite possible that shop-air hoses may introduce contaminants, such as dirt, water, etc, into the spindle. These contaminants may cause the check valve to leak or clog passages within the spindle.
It can be seen that a need exists to improve the actuating system for the expansion and venting of spindles An improved actuation system would reduce the unproductive or down time associated with the changing or adjusting of a roll of material.